
(^05 



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RALPH j. SMITH 

Oompan.V K, Second Texas Infantry. Rora 

at Centerville, St. Mar.v'.s Parish, La,, 

July 19th, lb40. Now resident 

of San Marcos, Hiys 

County. Texas 









Reminlsences of Civil War 

By Ralph J. Smith, Sometimes Private. 



1x1 the year 1861 the grim viitjagied , matter of few momths uatil we would 
god of waj- i-eigned supreme through- return home covered with glory 
ouc Texas. In June of thart, year Ex- I and ronown. The possibility of such 
Governor Stocokdale, a man of brll- \ a thinig as defeat never for a mom- 



liant attaiaimenits as well as a fiery 
Southern patriot, spoke to a large au- 
dience of citiizems of Jacfcsoai County 
in the court house of the town of Tex- 
anna. His eloquent pleadings of the 
Confederate cause, for he was migh- 
tier in words than deeds, oneated great 
excitemejit and enthusiasm through- 
out the Siurrounding country, inflam- 
ing the minds of his hearersi, espec- 
ially the young men, to feiver heat, 
and they were eager to enter (the fray 
and drive the cruel invader of their 
beloved land off the earth or surren- 
der their liives in the attempt. So I 



ent entered the mmxi of a member of 
our inexperiienoed corps. Day after 
day we were dined, wined and flat- 
tered. Night lafter niight we floated 
upon a s.ea of glory. The ladies pet- 
ted and lionized us; preachers pray- 
ed with and for us, deolarimg that th© 
lord was on our side, so we need 
have no fears. Alas how soon we were 
to realize the truth of epigram that 
the lord was on the side with the big- 
g.est gunis. 
While in this camp that brainy old 
war veteran, Ex-iPre&ident of the Re- 
public of Texas, Cenenal Sam Hous- 



lost no time in joininaiig the oampainy ton, made us a talk calculated to 
then beimg arganized by Clark Owen ; dampen the ardor of men less imtoxi- 
who up to this time was a strong Un- 1 cated than we poor boys with pomp 
ion. man, opposing secession, who be- j and glory of war. He told us we knew 
came our Captain. He was a man not what we did; that the resources 



about fifty-five years oM and a Chris- 
tian gentleman. 

1 wish I were able to describe the 
glorious anticipation of the first few 
days of our military lives, when we 
each felt individually able to charge 
and anihiliaite a whole company of 
blue coats. What brilliant speeches 
we made and the dinners the good 
people spread for us, and Oh the ibe- 
witchiing female eyes that pierced the 
breasts of our grey unif ormc, stopping 
temporarily the heart beats of many a 
feUow that the enemies bullets, were 
destined &oon to do- forever. 

On the 10th of October we werei or- 
dered to Houston where we were mob 
ili^d into the Second Texas Infan- 
try, commanded by Colonel John C. 
Moore, our company designated Com- 
pany K. Here again all was excite- 
ment: and all felt that it was only a 



of the north were almost exhaustleas 
That time and money would wear us 
out an.d oonquoa- us at last However 
he might as well had ibeen gi vdng ad- 
vice to the inmates of a lunatdcK asy- 
lum. We knew no such word as fail. 

On the 22nd of March, 1861. af- 
ter months of impatiiont waiting, w* 
were ordered to the front. M last 
a thousand hearts beat happily. Hur- 
rii^dly boarding a train we were car- 
ried to Beaumont by rail, thence by 
boat to Wise's Bluff, head of naviga- 
tion on the Neches rdiver. From there 
were marched to Alexandria, La-. 
thence transponts eamrdied us down Red 
river and up the Mississippi to Mem- 
phis, Tennessee, where we imm' d - 
ifitplv boflrded a railroad train for Cor- 
inth Mississdippi. 

After four daj's rest at Corinth we 
receiived orders to cook three day? 



1. 



rations, preparatory to marching to 
bliiioli, or Pittsburg Landing, tweaity 
five miiles East. We marched on the 
thifl'd day of April, advan.cing slowly 
on aocomi't of th« wretche<l coadiition 
of the road. Of oouiriie we ate our 
rations in thie finat tweaiy tour h.ours, 
it being a woil-knowm. iioldiier's max- 
im that rations aie carrd'ed easier in 
tile fiitomach than oil the back. After 
floundering througii the alusto for two 
days we ihrew our tired bodies down 
in a muddy corn field where drows- 
ing aind freezing, hungry and soak- 
ing we speinit the last night before our 
initiation into the horroa-s of real war. 

The" next moi'jiinig, Sunday April , 
6 th we went into tb© hard fought bat-*! 
tie of Shiloh. I S'h.all not attempt } 
to give a detailed discription of the I 
bloody encounteir. A private soldier 
has n.o knowledge of military move- , 
menitis outside of his iiameddajte sur- 
roundings. In fa<5t men of the rank | 
and file are often puffed up wiith the 
pride of victory only to find out some-^ 
time after waj-ds that he had been j 
well-whipped. In great battles wiith j 
thousands on each side , especial- ' 
ly privates, are like little screws in 
the wheel of a giant machimie. They 
are carried along by the pow.©r that 
moves the whole mass without know- ', 
ing where or why. i 

About nine o'clock with empty stom: ; 
achs and appetites made voracious by 
the faint smell of commissaries emin- 
ating from General Grant's camp our i 
regiment went into the midst of the i 
fighit. All I remember for the first 
few minutes after was a terrible noise 
great smoke, incessant rattling of 
small arms, infernal confusion and 
then I reaJdzed that the whole linie 
of the enemy was In disorderly retreat 
We followed them close for fear they 
would carry off their commissaries 
but they did not appear to be as hun- 
gry as we were and dashed through 
the camp without the slightest halt, 
while we prepared for the morrow by 



taking posseBsion of the stores. Our 
regiment, the Second Texas, raw re- 
criuts and weak froiin hungej- as it 
were, behaved like veterans, and al- 
though 1 have s<een the honor claim- 
ed in print by others, it undoubted- 
ly played the pxincipal rodi in tJie 
capture of the brigade of General Pren* 
tice. 1 witnessed the General surren- 
der hiis sword to Colonel Moore and 
saw the men lay down their arms and 
maa-ch to th© rear under guard. In 
the words of Sargeant Bill, wit of our 
reginaent, (of whom more hereafter) 
"This day's fight was as easy as 
seining for suckefs." 

When evening shades began to draw 
a curtain over the bloody field Gen- 
eral (jrjuifs forces, disorganized and 
beaten, could be seen like a great 
unordered mass., huddled under the 
canons of the gunboats. The spiteful 
crack of small arms gradually ceas- 
ed and we prepared to accept a elight 
token of the regai-ds presented to us 
by the enemy in the shape of quarter- 
master's stores, comnxissaries etc. 
Oh how empty we found ourselves 
now that we had time to think of it. 
Having inflated our anatomies with 
crackers, sausage, pigs feet, macaro- 
ni . sugar caffee etc. we began to se- 
lect such blankets overcoats and oth- 
i^*- clothing as we felt the need of. It 
soon began to be rumored among us 
that our Commander, General Albert 
Sidney Johnson was dead upon the 
field. No man who has not been a 
soldier can appreciate the change this 
news brought in the morale of our 
whole army. Although still rejoicing 
over the resu't of the battle, the fac- 
es of the men showed rather the grim 
satisfaction of the successful gladia- 
tor than the glad exultant S'mile of 
the mirth-crowned warrior. To his 
dea/th the soldiers almost universally 
attributed their failure to obtain vic- 
tory on the next day, but now we 
kno\v iliere were other causes. 



(irawt's reiinforceinafnts wer«j larger 
iu nuniibeir ithan we tJtiougihit. and I &m 
afraiid that faiilurie to desitroy all or 
nearly all thie captured evippliies, con- 
tributed largeily to our repulKe. j 
AJany of our boya w<3re raw recruits 
who had yet to learu that a battle Je I 
never ovier as lonig' aa the enemy is | 
in sight. Our victory had eieeiuingly ' 
been so ccanplieite that it was every- j 
where neipont&d in the rauka that the 
battle was over, all we would have to 
do next day would be to tak^e charge 
of tjirant'a Army, whixjh was ready to 
sui'iTender, 1 eaw numbers of men 
proceeding to the rear loaded with 
clothiiHig amd supplies. Poor fellows, 
they had been hungry so long and 
wet so much, they had fought so long 
and so gallia/ntly for them they were 
no doubt conviniced that they had earn 
ed a little comfort and rest, though it 
would noit have changed the ultimate 
result of the war, probably would 
have proloiaged the bloody and use- 
less struggle. 

For the honor of the boys I have 
often regreitted that we did not give 
(irant time to apply the torch to his 
stores. Wonn out but for once not 
hungry, we slept through the night. 
Though the clouds poured down a 
perfect deluge those who had escap- 
ed wounds or guard duty knew It not 
until the roar of artillery awoke us 
the next morning. 

About ten o'clock on the 7th the 
Second Texas was ordered to charge 
a masked battery, supported by a 
brigade in ambush. This was a warm 
corner indeed, for in a very sliort time 
the regiment lost one hundred and 
fifty men, inicludimg ithe captain of my 
company. The wriitier was &oon after 
wounded in the left leg, falling in 
the eniemy's line and was of course 
captured. So I would advise all boys 
.going into battle to avoid being shot 
in the left leg below the knee. for it 
is a daily reminder to me of that 
piagtaked war. 

Our army, failing to break the ene-- 

3. 



my'fii line, hastily fell back to Corin- 
th and I was a priisonieir at the ten* 
der imeroies of th© foe. Our army at 
the battle of Shiloh n)iim,bered forty 
thousand and three hiumdred and 
Grant's forces on the fiinst day num- 
bered forty nine thou/sand. After 
General Buell reinforced him on the 
night of the Bth be had Sieventy thousj 
and aixd ea,ght hundred. We lost in 
killed, wounded and missing, ten thou- 
sand and seven hufladred. Granit'si Iosb.- 
es accordiing to General Sherman's 
statement,, was thirteen thousand 
five hundred and s.evenity-ithree. 

My wound was bandaged and toge- 
ther with imany others of both blue 
and grey I was sent to St. Louis, Mo. 
vyhere a hospital for prisoners was 
fiitted up by some angels in female 
forms called Rebel Sympathi?ers. 
Human Sympathizers would have been 
a much more appropriate name, for 
those blg-hearteid ladies. 1 am sure 
knew neither North nor South, but 
that all jnankind were their brotliers. 
The hospital was located in McDow- 
ell's College on Gratiot s.treet and 
many a wounded Confederate has 
cause to thank heaven and woman- 
kind for the delicate care he received 
therein. 

Tile physician into whose hands I 
fell had at one time lived in Houston, 
Texas, and strange to say, out of the 
thousand or more wounded prisoners 
I was the only Texan in that depart- 
ment of the hospital, so the doctor 
was particuliarly kind to me, in re- 
turn for which, as a slight token of 
my gratitude, I made a pipe of stone 
with my name engraved on it, also 
name and number of my company and 
regiment and presented iit to him as a 
souvenir. He seemd to prize it very 
highly. 

To the doctor and the ladies of the 
city who supplied me with food more 
appropriate for the sick than prison- 
ers of war are furnisihed I owe my 
fife, for weak and exhau'Sted from loss 
o^ blood my condition was critical for 



sometime, iioLwiithstandiiing the care 
they bestowed u{K>n me. 

There were a dozen or more Cojvfed- 
erate officers near where I was in 
tlie hospital and one day they were 
amufiiing themselves by sa/n^ing Dixie 
and other sooigs when a German U. S 
Captaim ordered thean to stop. They 
paid no attenitlon to him and cooitioi- 
ued to sing, whereupon he became fur- 
ious and ordered ithe guard to fire iih- 
to their room which they po-omptly 
did. No one was hurt, however, but 
tho Catpain, who I heard, was cash- 
iered. At any rate we aever saw 
him again. 

Aiter about three months im St. 
Louis in College I learned some things 
and my wound beimg healed, for some 
ci'iuse I was removed to the peniten- 
tiary at Alton Illiinois, which I en- 
joyed more than beiaig iji college, as 
I soon recruited souffioiently to throw 
away my crutches and enjoy the asiso- 
ciatioii of the one thousand other 
prisoners, whom the Uniited States 
had kiindly seint North to spend the 
summer amd recuperate and gather 
su-ength for the fatigue of coming 
campaigns. We received as good treat- 
ment iin the Alton prison as prisoners 
could expect In time of war. We re- 
lieved the tedduim of our confinment 
by manufacturing every conceivable 
kind of trinklet of stone, wood, or 
any other material we could get that 
our few tools would work. I saw a vio- 
lin made there that was a work of arit. 

There was great excitement among 
the officers and guards of the prison 
one night. I learned next morning 
that a Missouri officer, Colonel Mc- 
I-^ughlin, and twenty- five of his men 
had escaped by tunneling tinder the 
prison waUs. Of cour-se the outside 
sentinel had been bribed, at least we 
so thought. 

After three months of prison life 
at Alton we were marched on board 
transports, which were protected by 
gunboats, and conveyed to within one 
mile and opposiite Viicksburg landing. 



where we were regularly exchanged 
and soon or eased over to Vlcksburg 
where the sympathizing sons and 
daughters of DdxLe, in anticipation of 
our arrival, had prepared a bountiful 
feast for us, such a one as makes a 
ragged soldier feel like rising up at 
itri end and exclaiming: "Fate can- 
not harm me today foi' 1 have din- 
ed." 

After eating until the provender 
did not tastte good any more I con- 
cluded to look around for some one I 
knew and soon discovered the fami- 
liar faces of seventeen of the Second 
Texas boys, who had been captured 
like myself, at Shiloh, but had been 
in prison at Camp Douglas near Chir 
cago and had Just been exchanged. 

Concludijig that we were free to re- 
sume our ccoupation of wreatling with 
the boys in blue for possession of 
their commissaries and to meet with 
success would need the rest of the 
boys, we boarded a train for .Jackson 
Mississippi, in search of our regiment. 
Not hearing anything of it upoai our 
arrival there went into an exchange 
camp nearby on Pearl River, electing 
a captain of our little company in 
order to draw rations. 

We promptly began to woiTy Gen- 
eral Pemberton, his adjutants and 
every one eke who would listen to us 
with anxious and repeated requests for 
information as to the whereahouts of 
the Second Texas, for we were all 
exceedingly eager for a sight of the 
boys once more. Ten or twelive days 
passed without the slightest informa- 
tion being obtained, when the whole 
camp of the exchange men, about a 
hundred in number, were ordered to 
report to General Pemberton" 3 head- 
Quarters for organization into a regi- 
ment, although half of the men were 
convalescent and unable to shoulder 
a musket. There were, however, loaf- 
ing around headquarters in Jackson 
able bodied Lieutenant-Colonels, Maj- 
ors, Captains and Lieutenaiiits, enough 
to officer half a dozen regiments, all 



4. 



anxious to cotmmand this new regiment 
We eighteen poor, ignorant Tiexas 
privaiteSi could not readily account 
for thiis, but finally concluded that 
they were the sole survivors of their 
command, which had all been kiEed 
or captured, but as this, did not au- 
gur well for their oar« of their miea; 
or their bravery on the battle fiiield, 
we concluded to inimediiately inak« a 
roar by presenting oarselvpsi &.t head- 
Quaj-ters and demandiinjg permission 
t,-> go to Hollow Springs, Mdssijijsappi 
wher*j we hoped to get news of our 
regiimenit. The conimandiing general, 
after remonBtratling with as^ iOai the fol- 
ly of going in search of a regionent 
the whereabouts of which we knew 
nothing an seeing that we were obsti- 
nate and d'etermi,ned, at lasit reluctant 
ly grant>ed us the required permission 
and transiportatiofi. 

Tile next day found us in Hollow 
Springs and after two days in which 
time we snbisifited alon.e on r^d per- 
simmons, v/p. were made happy by the 
information that the Second T«xas 
was in the viicLnity and a few days af- 
terward had the pleasure of being 
fiuartered under the old flag again, j 
Our old Colionel, now General Moore ; 
h+' haviing been promoted for gallan- 1 
try on the battle field of Shiloh, was j 
In command of the brigade to which 
the Seco.nd Texas belonged. We had j 
hardly shaken hands wi^h half of j 
our friends nor had a chanice to re- 1 
ply to shouts of welcotme aaid words 
of congratulatioirs from the boys in 
the ranks before we had orders to 
march in a body to the General's, tent 
where we s.ocn lined up. No sooner 
had we halted than the G«ieral ap- 
peared, grasped each of us by the 
hand and with tears trickling down 
his cheeks spoke to us of the joys he 
felt at see'ng us back agaiin safe and 
sound and congratulated lis upon our 
pciTSieverance In overcora'mg so many 
obstacles in our efforts to array our- 
selveis onee more under the flag of 
our beloved Second Texas. 1 shall re- 



member that &oen« as long as my 
mind endures for it taugbt m^e to ap- 
preciate the fact that men ar« not 
always what they seem. Genierai 
Mooro was a graduate of We»t Point, 
a strict disciplinarian with rather a 
haughty air, but when we saw him 
mingling his tears with those of the 
ragged, foot-sore retuxnied prisoners 
we knew that beneath his griim and 
cold exterior there beat a heart as 
tender as a little child's. Such ex- 
pre.sBdoniB of feeling together with 
aympatheitic acts of a thousand kinds 
afforded a bond of trust between 
many of our officers and their men 
that nothing but death could break. 
Soldiers will follow such leaders in- 
to most death-dealing hail of bullets 
without deliberations or fear of the 
cojisequen'Oes. 

Upon retumdng to the ranks I 
found many a gap An the line, missed 
many a familiar face. Some had di- 
ed upon the field of battle, some sack 
ened and pasised away, some disappear- 
ed none could say whither. Thos,e 
yet left had became iiuiured to expos- 
ure and hardship. Whole^ouled jolly 
fellows every one with a heart for 
every fate. I was thrown with troops 
from almost every state, both North 
and South, during my fonr years in 
the army and I feed oonfidient that 
the Texas Volunteer excelled them aU 
for li.ght-heiarted joUty and"don't give 
a darn" under all circumstances. He 
accepted whatever the fates dealt out 
to him, good or bad, perhaps grum- 
bled for a minute if very bad, then 
laughed and joked the rciSt of the day 
and half the night. The prophet 
Jeremiah was much givon to lamenta- 
tion.s, yet he said a merry he.art is 
a continual feast, and that ia about 
all these Texas soldiers had to feast 
on for many consecutive hours on 
numerous occasicns. 
The jolliest most quizical of all my 
chums wa>s noted for the uncertainty 



of his temper and 1 shall coiiteait 
myaelf by calling him Sargcaat Bill. 
At the time of which 1 am writing 
Bil' was about tweaty-five years old, 
six feet two inches in heighth and 
straight as mx ladiian chief, v/i/th long 
black hair and oyeu. of the saane color 
so piercing that they seemed to pcn«- 
liate oaie even to the sole of his boots 
whoncver Bill was deeply ir. oaracut. 
A native of Virginia, he had come to 
Texas in his early youth so that na- 
ture and educaJon had combined in 
his make-up a chivalrous ideal of the 
old Virgimia Cavalier, together with 
the dare-devil recklessness of the Tex- 
I'..- cowboy, and to slightly paraphrase 
Shakespeare the elements ^o mixed in 
him that nature might t^tand up and 
say to all the world: "Here is a 
soldier." 

Bill had been orje of the first to re- 
spond to his State's call to arms and 
expresced his firm belief that every 
male from sixteen to one hundred able 
to shoulder a gun, should be iz\ the 
field under his country's banner. He 
swore that the only cause of our fail- 
ure to crush the Undited States and 
end the war in a year was a mortify- 
ing fact that there were thousands 
o' able-bodied men in the Scuth who 
not only refused to volunteer but 
were skulking in the brush >to escape 
being conscripted. He cauld not a- 
bide a conscript, his idea being that 
a man who had to be forced into the 
army would not fight, and wnr good 
for nothing but to dig trenches after 
he got there. 

Bill had devoted himcolf to profon- 
ity in all of its various branches. For 
artistic conception and brilliant execu- 
tion his oaths stand without a para- 
lel in the annals of war. I firist be- 
came acquainitod with him during our 
journey from Houston while we were 
ramped for the night at Wife's Bluff. 
His discerning eye discovered a ware- 
house containing several barrels of 
"joy to the world" tonic. Procuring 
an auger he orawk^d undc^r the build- 



ing, bored through the flooi- and tJbe 
bottom of one of these brxrels and 
proceeded to draw off the precious 
fluid. Having filled all the vessels 
a\'ailable he drove a plug in the hole, 
iXvurnjad to camp and informed the 
beys of the windfall. 

On my return to the regiment my 
phy^'ical condilion was far from sat- 
isfactory the regimental physician re- 
porting that I was afflicted with phth- 
is pulmonus and utofit for duty. I 
was offered a discharge but being 
atill hopeful and zealous for our cause 
I refused to accept, thereupon was 
ordered to Quitman, Miss., to recup- 
erate. Quitman was a health resort 
before the civil war. A hospital for 
convalescent Texas soldiers in charge 
of Dr. Bryant of Houston was located 
one mile from town near one of the 
finest and bo'dest springs I have ev- 
er seen, the water of which is strong- 
ly impregnated with red sulphur. I 
soon discovered that the diet furnish- 
ed in the hospital was ai: everywhere 
else in the Confederate Army, cut 
rather short without any frills or 
tucks. In fact at was plain, so very 
plain that it became necessary for 
the inmates to embellish it somewhat 
in order to make life worth living. 

Rest and the snlphur water seemed 
to engender in us a decided and con - 
tinual hankering for poultry, fresh 
pork and fruits. These our generous 
compatriots in the vicinity furnished 
us with true Southern hospitality. We 
juDt made a requisition for such eat- 
ables as were available and then all 
that was necessary to procur th'>m 
was to step up to the coop, pen or 
tree and draw them. We generally 
selected a dark night to draw these 
delicacies, for fowls are much easier 
handled at night and as our good 
neighbors who so kindly furnished us 
were at that time soundly S'leeping 
off the fatigue of their daily toils 
we were exceedinigly careful not to 
awaken them. Thus, thanks to the 
noble Missiissiippians who raised and 



fumiisJiieid us with. sO' many of the good 
things of life, we were^ enabled, if 
not to wear purple and flai© limeii, at 
least to fare eumptously every day. 
The aiboive imentioned diet, together 
with the healiaig waters^ of the sul- 
phur springs., cured my honriible disr 
ease in about forty days. 

Having beeoi so Siuccessful in find- 
ing health and many other bleasings 
in thdis vicinity I was fain to linger 
but in the latter part of December Dr 
Bryant cruelly ordered me to join my 
command. Befoire the receipt of this 
unwelcome ordeir eight or ten of us 
pre-6<mpited a jug of what is known 
in thig. section as "mountain dew," 
and after supper we gathered in the 
dining room of the hospital and pro- 
ceeded to vex the drowsy ear of night 
with maudlin mirth. After spreading 
the festive board and mixing a good 
strong decoction, which for want of 
a better name I will call punch, toasts 
were proposed. Among the first was 
"Our Country", responded to as fol- 
lows: 

"Here's to our coiintry, may she ever 
be free, 

As the winds of the mountains or 
the waves of the sea; 
May the hearts of her sons n'er fail 
in her need, 

But drive from her soil the Yankee 
breed." 

The second toast was proposed to 
"Our Sweeithearts" and was ret'ipond- 
f-il to thus: 

Onr sweetheari*^© dear, to them we 
drink. 

Though nameless here, of them we 
think; 
Here'? health to them and wealth to 

them. 
With every blessiing else to them." 

Then someone proposed a toast to 
"Women" which was responded to 
this way : 
Here's to our women, God hlPS" th^m 

.'\nd death to the man who'd op- 
press them; 
Dealt h to hiis body and death to his 



soul, 

Who'd hiairm the dear creaturesi for 
pasision or gold." 

About January 1st, 1873, I rejoin- 
ed my regiment at Camp Timmon'S, 
seven miles above Vicksburg,, where 
it had gone into winter quarters.. Ev- 
ery one was in good spirits and liv- 
ing a>a well as past experienoei liin *he 
service gave them reason to expect. 
General Boiuregard had been succeed- 
ed as division ooimmander by Gener- 
al Maury, who was. an able officer 
and very popular. The only fault the 
boys found with hiim was hiis weakness 
for general review,, dress parade etc. 
The vetteransi of the rank and file ser- 
iously objected to these "circusi par- 
ades" as they called them, because 
they imposed upon tbem a hard day's 
work marching and counter marching 
for no earthly purpose which they 
could uuderistand except to give the 
officers an oppoirtundty to show them 
selves off in aU their glory to an ad- 
miring crowd of fashionables and 
society matrons who drove out from 
the city to our reviews. General 
Maury was a splendid horseman and 
of commanding appearance and no 
doubt impreseed many sentimental 
female eyes as a "thing of beauty 
and a joy forever" as he dashed up 
and down the line of troops on his 
p.piriited charger. But wiith the boys 
in the ranks it was quite different. 

Among the crowd of spectators on 
the days of review were many silly 
girls who adored an officer's uniform 
no matter how unworthy of it was 
the man inside. The attention of a 
member of the staff filled these fair 
damisels with delirou© joy while the 
flattering notice of a handsome gen- 
eral in command threw them into such 
spacms of ecstatic delight that the 
nerves of a few of them never recov- 
ered from the shock. To these thought- 
leps creatures what appeared so grand 
to the ragged foot-sore veterans in 
the ranks were simply a part of the 
officer's equipment, like their horses 



ami auiforms. Being fully aware of 
t.liia we had decided objections to a- 
beltiiig iu thedr folly and avoided 
review wheaiever it was possible to 
do BO. 

Our army, of course, had a number 
o*" "lady kiUers" among our officers. 
However fliiie clothes do not make a 
coward any more tlian they uiake a 
man, and often the most fastidious 
dandies would fight like demons 
through the smoke ajid grim of bat- 
Ue. 

As 1 am wribing reminiscences and 
not history I shall pass over ithe bat- 
tles fought during my absence from 
my regiment. I leai-ned upon my re- 
turn that the mem in ranks fully ex- 
pected to fight a diciisiive battle at 
Corinth with the ajrmy under General 
Halleck, which appeared before our 
fortifications at that place soon after 
the battle of Shiloh. This army num- 
bered ninety thousand but our men 
were anxious to try conclusions with 
it although our force was only about 
half as mainy, having held their own 
at Shiloh when the odds against them 
were as great, after marching and 
fighting for three consecutive days; 
they believed that when fresh and hav- 
ing the advanitage of fortifications 
they should have won but General 
Bouregard haviaig become satisfied 
that the fighting qualities of his men 
were all that could be desired, appar- 
ently concluded to gijve them a Mttle 
ti-alning for speed, as they were or- 
dered to retreat toward Tupelo, fif- 
t;' miles distant. Tlie boys did not ap- 
prove of this mode of warfare and 
Gene^ral Bouregard was severely cen- 
sured by his men for the seemingly 
uncalled for retreat though some no 
doubt blessed him for leading them 
away from danger. 

Colonel Ashbel Smith was at this 
time, January 1863, in command of 
the Second Texas Regiment. Colonel 
Smith was an able officer, thorough- 
ly educated and a diplomat of some 
note, having at one time represented 



the KepubUc of Texas at the court oi 
France. He was quite an athlete and 
his temper was somewhat inllama- 
tory and when enraged he cut such 
fantabiUc capers before high heaven 
as made the angels smile. These 
bursts of anger soon passed off but 
while they lasted the Colonel danced, 
awore, jingled his sword and denoun- 
ced the object of his wrath in. words 
that burned holes in the surrounding 
atmosphere. Pasticnate and eccentric 
though he was the Colonel's heart was 
full jeweled, twenty-four karats fine 
and devoted to hi* men, especially the 
old volunteers in the ranks, whom he 
loved like brothers. However this 
did not prevent us from laying plans 
and executing schemes to bring on 
his crazy spells as we called them, 
and many a quiet smile or hearty 
laugh we enjoyed at the Colonel's ex- 
pense. 

Early In 1863 our regiment was re- 
cruited with conscripts, about one 
hundred of them being chased out of 
tlie brush and into our ranks. This 
I think was a mistake. Conscripts 
and volimteers being actuated by dif- 
ferent motives, interfere and hinder 
each other lake a team compvosd of 
a lazy mule and a spiinited horse, when 
combined in the same regiment. Our 
conscripts never amalgamated witli 
the "boys" as the Colonel always 
called the remnant of the original 
volunteers, which was no doubt rath- 
er our fault than theirs, for we consid- 
ered ourselves their superiors, an op- 
inioai even in which our officers shar- 
ed, as the followinig occurence will il- 
lustrate. 

Owing to his eccentric movements 
when he had a "spell" on we had 
given Colone-l Smith the name of'Tin- 
gle Box". Though, of course, we did 
not use that pet name when address- 
ing him he was fully aware of it, hav- 
itig heaiTd us use It in a thousa,nd dif- 
I ferent indirect ways without taking 
I notice but one day as he rode by an 
unlucky conscript called oiit to aiioth- 
8. 



er: "Her© ooines Jingle Box". The 
Colonel lonmedaateily charged liilim and 
oxj his taking to the brush diamount- 
e.l and soom raax hiim dowoii and, Siedz-- 
Jng him by the eai* and emphasiz,iin,g 
every other word with a hearty kick 



known Bill's judgemejit to be sierdoufi' 
i:' at fault. It bsiimg excaedlnigly dark 
ar;d beMig very tired h© aw or© ho 
would advance no further without 
restiiHg. He pix)oeeded to sit down 
on what he suppOGed to be a log 



h.i swore by the Olympic gods that no but rapidly descended about te,n feet 



blank conscriipt should call him nam- 
e:;. The Colonel was somewhat Irdsh 
when enraged. 
I have often wond-eried since the dark 
days of our lintes^tine strife at the 
cold-blooded iindiffeirence with whiich 
Wf at that timie looked upon, death 
and thie^ grave. They being hourly btr- 



to the bottom of a muddy branch 
Bill's oathiS and tho sihoutsi of laugh- 
tt:r that followed this luxi,icrous ac- 
cident seemed to throw a shadow of 
life over ihe Siurroundinge sufficiently 
to enable us to fish hdm out of the 
diffiioulty. 
Our advance guard arriiived about 



fore our eyes in their various forms j eight A, M., the rear coming about 
they soon ceased to inspire us with ; noon. I think that some of our con- 
awe and became matters to joke a- : script® failed to show -uip at all, buit 
boxxt, While out foraging one day ! none appeared to know or care. Dur- 
with Sargeant Bill we discovered a ing the afternioon we embarked on 
pair of graves. At the head of them j a itransi>ort and steamed up the rlv- 



was a pine board upon which the fol- 
lowing lines were written.: 
"The Yankee hords and thieving' 

bands, 
Came South to rob our houses and 

s.teal our lands; 
But this narrow contracted spot. 
Is all this poor Yankee ever got" 
The other grave beinig. unmarked we 
decided that: the poetaster, after delilv- 
©ring- himself of the aboive epitath, 
had immediately fallen dead from ex- 
haustion, necessarily foUowimg his 
monumental effort, and some kindly 
disposied passer-by interred him be- 
side his late enemy. Acting upon 
this conclusion Bill proceeded to set 
Up a board at the head, of the un- 
marked grave inscribed thus: 
"Here lies a moniumental poet, 
His neighbor's epitath will sh.ow it. 

About twelve o'clock one cold wet 
night the latter part of January 1863 
WR received ordersi to cook the usual 
three days rations preparatory to 
marcliiing. Two hours afterward 
Camp Timmons was deserted and we 
were tramping through the darknees 
toward Snyder's Bluff, seven miles 
distant on. the Yazoo river. This was 
the only occaeion I remember to have 



er for Yazoo City. This mode of 
transportation wias very unpopnlftr 
with the boysi. They even preferred 
marching to being packed aboard 
like fowls cooped for market, with no 
opportunity to augment their scanty 
ri'tions by contrlbution,s. from the sur- 
rdundlng country. Our first night 
afloat passed off quieitly. Some reliev- 
ed the monotony by playing cards, oth- 
ers by singing songs^ I give below 
one of these songSi written by a 
member of our regiment, whiich has 
never appeared in print: 

SHILOH. 
Draw near my gallaait comrades and 

a story to you I'll siing, 
.V sad and moiumfu.1 song of war, 

tears to your eyes twi,ll bring; 
One April morn on Shiloh's plains the 

risin,g aun dis.played, 
One hundred thousand soldiers in bat- 
tle line arrayed. 
Soon drum and fife proclaimed the 

hour that we must march away. 
Mid canon's roar and musket's crack 
to mingle in the fray. 



9. 



with his sward and swore that if tiie 



CHORUS. I witii nis swora ana swore ui»l hx uuc 

Croriii ShiJoh's fieldb the bullets sped, ! dastard who did this unholy deed did 



(ji\ Shiioh s hilki full mauy bled- 



uot come forward to be liuug iinmed- 



Uu Shilohs plains lay thousands dead iaieiy he would throw the whole re- 
w hue bhiloii s rilis ran red with giment iu irons annd jnake the last 
IjI^o^^ I one of them draw for a black bean 

land shoot the man who got it for an 
Time after time we chai'ged tlie foe I example. 



who made a aitubboru sftaad, 



Soon after this naval engagement, 



Vnd ere the sun had reached the in which so many lives were threat- 
West we fought them hand to hand. I en ed and none lo»t, we reached Yar 
last their solid ranks we broke I zoo City, landed and marched to the 



At 

and scattered them afar, 
And then the vale of niighit fell down 

and closed the sceme of war. 
The memory of that bloody day the 

heart with anguish fills, 
For dead and dieing everywhere lay 

thick on Shiloh's hills. 

When mormine'& ldgh.t onee more ap- 
peared drums beat to arms again, 
Unmindful of the dieing and heedless 

of the slain; 
And soon the canon's deadly mouth 

renewed its angry roar. 
Ten thousand fell and thousands sped 

to battle never more. 
Each place in ranks may be refilled 

but not in heavy hearts, 
That watch and pray for their return 
throughout our country's parte. 
This song is set to the tune of Joe 
Bowers. 

Life on board had become distress- 
ingly dull and 1 saw from a well 
known expression on Bill's counten- 
ance that something was likely to 
happen soon to break the monotony, 
B,> was not all surprieed when on the 
morning follow inng it was suddely 
shivered into a thousand fragments. 
Someone had during the night dis- 
figured the mane and tail of the Col- 
onel's black charger to such an ex- 
tent that we were unable to recog- 
nize him . The resulting "crazy 
spell" was one of the most excrus-- 
iating that we ever succeeded in 



suburbs where we went into camp. 
This picturesque little city is sur 
rounded by a beautiful and fertile 
country which had never, to this time 
been invaded by the soldiers of eith- 
er army, to chickens were crowing 
and fat hogs gruntLng in every di- 
rection. Stich attractive si<ghts and 
charming sounds created among us 
a strong desire to establish perman- 
ent headquarters but ift turned out 
to be another case of "Twas ever 
thus since childhood's early hotix". 
for much to their chagrin the regi- 
ment was ordeired to re-embark next 
day. Together with one other man 
I had been out on a foraging expedi- 
tion and knew nothing of the depar- 
ture of the command until our re- 
turn the following morning. When dis 
covering that the camp was vacated 
and not a soldier to be found we held 
a council of war and concluded that 
the last scoundrel of them had de- 
serted and decided to hold the fort 
for funther orders. On the morning of 
the thir<l day, with visions of die 
guard house and a bread and wat«r 
diet before hii> eyes, ray companion 
deserted me and went in search of 
the regiment. Though left forloni I 
was not alone by any means for the 
citizens of the city soon took me in 
hand and entertained me Like a .Maj- 
or-fJeneral. But the faireat day has 
its night and my holiday was sud- 
denly obscured by the arrival of Cap- 



bringing on the Colonel. He charged i tain Mcdnnds of my regiment who 
uj) and down the deck, beat the floor | pmmptly attached me to a squad of 

10 



ten men, seat out under him to ga/tli- 
er a bunch of aeigroes ito be used in 
building fortifications. 

The Captain, who had come down 
by boat, soon procured hiimiHelf a 
good horise, mounted, gave the com- 
mand to "forward, march," and my 
elysdium was no more. We had not 
proceeded far before the Captajin, 
casting his eyes over the landscape, 
caduaJly remarked: "Boys, this ap- 
pears to be a beautiful and prosper- 
ous country. Horses and saddles 
must be quite plenitiful around here." 
This sieemingly unimportant remark 
was isufficient to transfer na from in- 
fa.ntry to cavalry service, for witliout 
further orders we wer^e soon. ailJ moun- 
ted. I was among the fiirist to secure 
a "charger" in the shape of a mule, 
which I found hiitched in the out- 
skirts of the City. I chrisitened my 
mount Prestigitator, because he play- 
ed me so many tricks, and my com- 
paniions soon changed my appelation 
to Zfljchariah on account of my be- 
ing oompelled to cliimb a tree to 
Tuount hiim with safety. On my re- 
turn four days later I left the mule 
-•xaolty where I had "conscripted" 
him. and never heard from him again. 
His owner, no doubt, had long before 
be^u (onviinced from his aictions that 
t.'ie teacs: was an emisary of Belze- 
bub and was not at all surpriised to 
find ■■.iin in the same spot where he 
had left hdm after an unacoounitable 
abienci- of four days. We captured 
t,he '-equired numbor of negroes, some 
twenty five or thirty and when we 
returned loaded them on a trans- 
port >r;d pnx-c^v'.ed up the river *o 
the mouth of the Yellow Bushy riv- 
er where the fortifications were in 
course of constiruotion. These biacks 
were used exclusively as laborers. I 
'uvei- saw an p'Uied negro in the 
Confederate sreviice. The chief fault 
of on* soldiers was their contempt 
for the apade- Very few of thiem had 
been accustomed to hard manual lab- 



or and avoided tremch dlggiing as 
much as possible, often to our disad- 
vantagr 

Mter delLveiriiig our charges we 
joined our regimemt, which we founid 
l(^ca*ed at Fori Pemberton, near the 
conjunction of the Tallahasse and 
Ya'-ou ri^er.s. Ihij Fort had been 
recently constructed as a part of the 
I'Ue of defense of Vicfesburg against 
General Grant, that city bedng the 
last stronghold on the Missiissdippi 
river in our possoasion after the fall 
of New Orleans. This Fort was not 
a brilliant example of military engi- 
neering. A shell from a gunboat had 
exploded a magazine, killing and se- 
verely wounding twelve or fiifteen 
men, whdch oocured soon after our 
arrival. W© always referred to it 
as a slaughter pen. While we wiere 
here we were confronted on several 
occasions by a portion of Grant's ar- 
my, but they did not attack \is., «md 
as we stood strictly on the defensive 
no engagements occured. An occas- 
ional shelling by a gunboat was tli« 
only fire of the enemy wie were ex- 
posed .to while in this vicinity, and 
as these did not venture near enough 
to do much damage their sh.elling 
merely served to break the monotony 
of camp Mfe. 

The outposts of the opposing army 
were on several occasions juat op- 
pos.ite each other on the river, which 
was at this place about seventy five 
yards wide. The pickets on these 
postS' would often amuse each other 
by tantalizing or joking. Often the 
guards entered inito all the prelimin- 
ariies for exchanging rations, news- 
papers, etc.,, but no exchange ever 
actually occured. 

We had in our regiment a young 
Irishman, brave as a lion and of 
powerful physic, who, when drinking 
was dangerous to either friend or 
foe that crossed him. This man, 
whose name was Ferrin, had gotten 
the idea into his head that our Maj- 
11. 



or was prejudix^d agaiiust Wtm, and 
used hia authotrlty lo vent hia per- 
sonal Bpite agaiiwit h.im. This officer 
ordered Ferrui to draw oft the car- 
cas of a dead mule from the proxi- 
uiity of the camp. Being in a surely 
mood the Iriahman told him to point 
hla nose In the direction of hados 
and to "double qudck." This enrag- 
ed the Major and he struck him a 
blow wlith the flat of hie sword. Far- 
rin. wild with passion, immeddatoly 
seized a piece of rail lydiiig at his 
fe^et and would have bratoed the Maj- 
or on the spot had he not turned and 
fled. The Major made for a crowd 
of men who saw tlKsmi coming ait full 
speed and began to laugh and yeU, 
chccriing first one and then the other 
until (the whole camp was in an up- 
roar. The officer ran into the crowd 
and someone tripped up his pureurcr 
and he was aeoured. The laughing 
of the crowd brought Ferrin to his 
senses and he did not try to caich 
the Major. 

Grant's movements imdicating that 
he had no intentlmis of approaching 
Vicksburg from the diirection im which 
we lay we were ordered to evacuate 
l-ort Pemb-erton and return to Camp 
Timmons seven miles above Vicks- 
burg. This was welcome news to all 
the boys as there was not a single 
chicken left to annoimce the coming 
of morn and the voice of the porker 
was no more heard, 
tnons the enemy made a feeble at- 
Soon after our arrival at Camp Tim- 
tempt to land troopa ajt Chickamau- 
ga Bayou, nearby, but as they with- 
drew after a slight skirmish our of- 
ficers concluded that this was a ruse 
to cover General Grant's real Inten- 
tions and we we-re ordered to War- 
rington, on the Mlssisisippi,. twenty 
miles below Vicksburg. 

Here was located a Fort with a few 
heavy guns commanding the river 
which up to the time had succeeded 
in preventimg the passage of the ene- 
my's gunboats. Provisions became ex- 



ceedingly scarce while we were stat- 
ioned at WarringtOin and continued 
so unttl a piece of bacon was loolied 
upon a.A a treasure to be jealously 
guarded. Col. Smith had begged, 
j bought or stolen a piece of a hog 
which he had concealed under his 
cot. During a night his dreams were 
disturbed by something apparently 
crawling under hla cot. Seizing his 
sword in one hand while he made a 
quick grab with the other he grasped 
the hand of a conscript. Leading his 
prisoaier out into the Mght of the 
campfire the Colonel minutely exam- 
ined his crest-fallen countenance and 
exclaimed: "I knew that it was a 
blamed conscript. If it had been one 
of .the old boys I never would have 
gotten my hands on him". Then giv- 
ing him a kick he reurned to his 
slumbers. 

Hunger hath no ears, neither hath 
it a conscience. Pushed on by hope 
or fear of scorn men will brave the 
terrors of the battle field with the 
moat reckless abandon but few in- 
deed are those who haveithe moral for- 
titude to leave the pangs of hunger 
In their own stomachs half appeased 
In order to relieve a starving com- 
rade to a similiair extent. The qual- 
ity and quantity of our rations con- 
tinued to get no better while at War- 
rington, so much so it required tbe 
utmost inguinlty on the part of each 
of us to keep the lamp of life alight 
Some one discovered that the twamp 
around oiu* camps were full of wild 
bees and a hunt for -the trees con- 
taining their stores of honey was or- 
ganized. By working all day in the 
mud and water up to our waists, for 
we were comp^elled to wade bayous 
which here run into the Mississippi. 
we succeeded in gathering a suffici- 
ent quantity to supply the whole re- 
giment with at least one full meal of 
this d(>li clous sweet. 

The lord tempereth the wind to the 
shorn lamb sometimes and We rpade 
aiiothfr discovery of nature's bounty 



12. 



on thle expeditioai. We found tbe a- 
bove meiitiomed bayoua cantainjed In- 
uuinerable cmw-tiis.h, which wi© capdiur- 
ed in great profuaioaa. Then after 
these were cooked thiey added much 
lo the reliish of our coa'n dodgea\ 

On May the fifteemtli, 1863 we hur- 
riedly marched into Vicksburg, tak- 
ing our position in the treinches in 
the roar of the city. We soon found 
that General Grant with a force said 
to be one hundred thousand Btrong 
had just attacked General Perabeir- 
ton on the Big Black river, defeated 
him and drove his imferior force be- 
hind the fortifications at Vicksburg 
and was rapidly advancing with an 
overwhelmMig army. 

On the morninig of the sixteenth of 
May we found our whole systeim of 
breastworks extemdioig in a semi-cir- 
cle around the oity to a junction with 
the river above and below, seven mdl- 
ej in length comfroai'ted by a heavy 
line. Preparatione^ were made ito meet 
the charge which was momentarily 
expected. Aimundtion was issued more 
freely than rations. Company offir- 
cers laid aside their swords and took 



va&tatiing chariges the boys in blue 
concluded they had eniough for the 
once and withdrew in disorder. It 
was duriiaiig oiiie of theis© bloody as- 
^ilaultfi. that a sitandard-beaa-er of the 
enemy reached our breastworks and 
planted his flag on top and jumped 
down among our boys unhumt. Many 
of the boys who saw this said," This 
Yankee was loaded with gun powder 
and whiiskey on the inside." But 
Sar^eant Bill Siwore by the eternal 
that while it wasi an insult it was. true 
bravery and we should do him the 
justice to acknowledge iit. 
The battle raged for aboujt five' hours 
during which time the enemy, so it 
was stated at the time, losit twenty 
thouaand men. Nearly all our con- 
scripts and raw volunteers fired 
their first volley up into the air. But 
having their attention brought to the 
fact that the enemy were in front and 
not flying over-head they did fair 
execution. 

Two days after the assault on our 
breastworks there was a truce declar- 
Hl, lasting three hours to enable the 
enemy to bury their dead, which lay 



up muskets.' Parsons withdrew under thicJi upon the field, soime of them 



the bluffs of the river, I suppose that 
their prayers for our success might 
ascend to the ithrone of grace unmix- 
ed with the unholy sound of war. 
Many of our third Liieutenants discov- 
ered sudden demandSi for their servic- 
es as cooks at headquarters or othier 
detached duties far from the madden- 
ing crowd in blue. We conferred 
the title of "dog robbers" on these 
cooks. 



just outside our trenches. 

There were many heroic acts per- 
formed during this battle. One of 
the boys picked up one of the enemy's 
shells with a burni,ng fuse that had 
dropped among his companioinHi, ran 
to a pool of water and threw it in, 
thus extingiuishlng the fuse and mak- 
ing the shell harmless. 

During this truce, although it was 
contrary to orders, a few of us evad- 



On the morning of the 22nd of ' ed the guards and repaired to a plum 



May Grant began a series of desper- 
ate chargesi all along our fronit, throw 
ing fifty thousand men against our 
lines, composed of twenty thousand 
men. The shocks were terrible and 
for a while it looked asi t,hough we 
would be overwhelmed and trampled 
under foot by mere force of numbers. 



orchard, some distance insdde the 
enemy's lines, where, while filling 
ourselves with fruit, we ran across 
several United States Soldiers on a 
similiar errand. We eng.'vged in frie^md- 
ly conversation, taking pains however 
to get separated before the truce ex- 
pired. 
The siege went on and the solid 



However after several bloody and de- shots broke down our embankments 

13. 



lucMre and more every day. Many of 
uux guns were di««nauUed, xni&n were 
drop pill g every wiiere alO(ng tiie lioie 
und railous grew lesii at every Isaue 
uuiil they were tiiially reduced to 
oue-fourth the prescribed 
ThlB would have anly beeoi aa iiK>eu 
tive to fight iu the opeai field where 



thufi with empty Bitomache and our 
skin from head to lieela pricked by 
the savage body Lice, on the morn- 
ing of July third a lone horseman 
approached the trenches from the 
amount. , direction of headquarters, leaped his 
horse over the embankment and un- 



furled a white flag. This man as 
victory would bniaig us the enemy 'h \ brave as Napoleon's guard wept tears 



camp and stares but under the cir- 
cumstances it only discouraged us. I 



j of grim despair. With shot and &heJJ 
sweeping the ground all about him, 



thank the history of the war will show , the horseman aped on with face as 



that the Northern troops excelled in 
building and defending fortifications 
while we were supeiior to them In 
charges and endurance. 
G<ranf» "sappers" gradually extend 



white as the flag he bore, (for iit was 
not for victory that his life was im- 
periled,) and soon dlsa.pp€ared In 
the enemy's line. The end had coone. 
Thousands of failures had been wriit- 



ed their uenches aearer and nearer to ten by general's, newspaper corresr 
our lines. HU artillery bombarded 
us and every resource known to 
modem warfare was brought against 
us until many became discouraged but 
with some, the more desperate our 
conditions grew the more desperate 
they became. I remember a staff of- 
ficer. Major Hal Runnels of Houston, 
who seemed to court death daily. 
There was a piece of rising ground 
that was swept continually by shot 
and shell to such an extent that ev- 
ery one avoided It. But this officer, 
In passing from headquarters to the 
trenches, walked on this death trap 
as calmly as tf he were taking a 
walk In a quiet garden far from the 
scenes of war. When he reached the 
trenches 1 often saw him mount the 
fortifications to examine the position 
of the enemy through a field glass 
while the air was full of shells all 
around him. I do not know whether 
he was killed or not but if he escaip- 
ed ho must have been under special 
protection of tlie god of war. 

Day after day it was reported that , fp^ at the expense of the 
(General Joeeph E. Johnson was com- 
ing to our reMef and would fall on 
Cirant tomorrow but if tomorrow ev- 
e.' came Johnson did not. 

After forty-eight days of constantly , casion at Shiloh. Many of the boys 
watching and fighting on quarter ra- 
tions oiu' oommisEory entirely failed. 



pendents, aides and "dog robbers" on 
the siege of Vlcksburg, explaining in 
a hundred different ways why we 
were not re-lnforeed or relieved. The 
only one that I have to offer is that 
the political aspirations and bicker- 
ings between our commander and 
the Richmond authorities were the 
sole cause of the fall of the last 
stronghold in the Mississippi 

On the morning of the Fourth of 
July we stacked our arms and march- 
ed about a mile to the rear, In the 
direction of the river. In charge of 
United States guards. Many were 
the surmises as to what our fate 
would be. Visions ol close confln- 
ment in Northern prisonis floated be- 
fore our eyes while the conscripts 
shook with fear of immediate exf>cu- 
tion, for Sargeant Bill had told them 
that Grant had all conscripts shot 

Ijate in the afternoon General 
Grant Isstied the first full ratiions we 
had had in many a day. thus for the 
second time our whole regiment was 

United 
States government, but under how 
different and much raoiv humiliating 
circumstances than on the former oc- 



thought that this kindness shown us 
was to make the surrender more com- 



14. 



plete aad tiiat It would be. oouiiiter 
balanced by added orueilty in tlie fu- 
ture but I had been iu GTiaat's hands 
before and knew him ito be hi\xmsm.e, 
makinig war only on those with anas 
in their hands so was not afraid. 

We soon learned that we were (to 
bt! paroled, and after paying our in- 
debtednesis to the inner man with com- 
pound interest at u&urous rates our 
cheerfulnesiB gradually begaai to re- 
turn. 

The few blibies which had been in 
evidence disappeared. Cards were re- 
sumed and dreams of home entered 
the brains of many of us. Home 
meant quiet nighits and peaceful days, 
no weary hours on guard,, no shriek- 
ing shot or shell. It seemed Idtoe the 
baseless fabric of a dream. 

On the eleventh day, haviiaig neceiv- 
ed our parole from the United States 
authorizing us to go where we .pleas- 
ed and oommaflid ourselves according 
to our own free will, with the excep- 
tion that we were not to take up arms 
against the Uniited States until we 
were exchanged, we marched outside 
the fortifications and diispersed. 

The rank and file of our regiment 
being exceediinglyianxious for a glimp- 
se of the prairies of Texas once more 
concluded to take advantage of their 
eoforeed furlough and visit their old 
homes in spite of the earnest expec- 
tations of CoJianel Smith that we 
would follow him to Raymond, Mis- 
sissippi where a camp of paroled men 
had been established. We soon set 
out on our pedestrain jaunt of three 
hundred miles which we considered 
no more than a pleasure excursion 
after what we had undergone. 

With light hearts and light bag- 



home. 

After crossing the ri.ver all of Com- 
pany K. except four., including myself 
coneluded to take the lower and shor- 
ter route by way Oif Alexandjia, La., 
while we chose the better but longer 
way by Natchiitoches on Red River. 
For subeiiistenice we, of course, had to 
depend upon what w© could beg, bor- 
row or steal. However we seit out 
gaily fiiinging "Homeward Bound We 
Sweetly GUde," trusting in the bib- 
lical aaauranice that "sufficient unto 
the day is the evil thereof." 

We found the people along our route, 
though iUy provided themselves, will- 
ing to divide the last morsel wiith us 
and we had free aooess to the fruit 
whieh was ripe on the trees^ at majny 
places overhanging our road. I re- 
member one feast that came to us 
in rather an unexpected way. We 
had sitopped for the night In the sub- 
urbs of a small village one afternoon 
before sunset. Having managed In 
some way to get hold of a canjteen 
of rum we were soon quote jolly,. One 
of my comrads had stretched out for 
a quiet snooze when I placed a revol- 
ver, which we had smuggled out of 
Vicksburg, on his head for a rest 
and fired. He arose in a storm of 
wrath. The other boys began to laugh 
and yell at us, which attracted the 
attention of an old gentleman sitting 
on hiis porch, who ran out and en- 
tered into conversation with us and 
invited us to spend the night with 
him. We were well provided for con- 
sidering the times. 

The next morndnjg we took our depar- 
ture. After twenty days afoot through 
Louisiana we reachied Beaumont, Tex- 
as, where we were furnished rail- 



gage we trudged along like school , road transportation to Houston. Up- 
boys on a holiday, our only draw- on our arrival there we were taken 
back being blistered feet, for on in hand by appreciative citizens, well 
account of our long confinment in. the i entertained and our tattered gar- 
trenches at Vicksburg many of the j ments replaced with new ones, 
boys' feet had grown tender and dls- From Houston we reached our des- 
comoded them in their haete to get | tination at Texanina in a few hours by 

15. 



raij and stage and 1 was once more , tion we were conveyed by rail to San- 
weicoaned Iwiiieatti the parental vine ' dy Point and froan Uiere marched to 



and fig uve. 

About tlie fij-st of October 1863, we 
received notice that the Second Tex- 
as had been exchanged and was to 
be reorganized at Houfitoai. Though 
there was some doubt as to our be- 
ing regularly exchanged, all the old 
members fit for duty reported as 
soon as this order reached them. 
Our ColoneJj soon convinced us that 
our exchange was all right and that 
we were not going to fight with a 
rope around each of our necks, for 
hanging is the puniehment meted out 
to captured soldiers wlio have brok- 
en their parole. 

We organized at the same camp 
about two mites from Houston where 
two years before we had originally 
entered into the service of the Con- 
federate States as a regiment. We 
were at that time volunteers, nearly 
everyone young and thoughtless, fill- 
ed with exhuberant hopes and stronig 
in the belief that our regiment could 
wipe the best brigade of Yankees 
that ever en.terd the field off the face 
of the earth any morning before break- 
fast. 

But now what a chajnge had come 
over the spirit of our dreams. We 
had fought, starved and laid in pri®- 
on for two years until otir ranks were 
r'^duced to two hundred and ftfty of 
the volunteers, who though resolved 
to stand by our country as long as 
life atood by us, were withoirt enthus- 
iasm and almost without hope. We 
had learnied many things about war 
that tended to lessen our zeal for 
glory thereby, and though we &till 
answered the bugle call promptly. 



Columbia on the Brazos river. Arriv- 
ing at Columbia we boarded a trans- 
port and wenit down the Brazos to 
Velasco, for what purpose we never 
found ouit as there was no enemy in 
miles of this place. Some of the boys 
said that we had probably come down 
for sea-bathing. It being the middle 
of wi niter and our camp being located 
on a bare beach where we had no 
protection from the bdtter Nonth wind 
that prevailed, we came near freez- 
ing on several occasions. Finally we 
had orders to move West of the Braz- 
os river about four mllie© where the 
country was heavily timbered and 
wo were protected from the wind. 

In January 1864 we were removed 
to Cedar Lake, six miles from the 
mouth of Caney river where a Fort 
of the same name was located. This 
We were to guard. Several gunboats 
of the blocading fleet were at that 
time occupying the coast of Texas 
and had appeared in sight of Fort 
Caney and it was supposed that the 
eujemy was making preparations to 
land troops nearby in Order to cap- 
ture the garrison. We wei'e accord- 
ingly there to support it. Not long 
after our arrival two of the Federal 
Gunboats drewjmear and began to eiielil 
the Fort. Our company was ordered 
inside but on our remonstrating -we 
were allowed to deploy up and down 
the beach behind sand hills. The 
1 gun in the Fort was soon saienced. 

An unexpected treat fell to our lot 
soon after the firing ceased. The 
Federal gunboat ran a Spanish sail- 
ing vessel in near the Fort where she 
grounded. The crew, all Cubans, be- 



there was no spontaneous hopes of | ing much frighten.ed. abandoned her 
each sounding of its note<s that we i and took to the woods. Our officers 
were to march mio battle immediate- 1 took possession of the boat and car- 

, go, consisting of coffee, Irish potatoes 

ly. Orders that met our approval we ^ ^ ' "* *, ,. u 

' salt fisih, calico washbowls and pitch- 
obeyed but others we evaded as all , ^^^ ^^ .^^ ^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^^^ 

old soldif^rs know well how to do. | besides numbers of ca^^i'S of various 

Having coniploted our reorganiza- tonics, which we called soothing sy- 

16. 



rup, consigned to R. & G. Mills of 
Galveston. 

We were ordered by companies to 
unload the vessel which had now be- 
come a wreck and] we were promised 
the usual salvage, one-^third of the car- 
go. Attachiing a cable and the whole 
regiment leaidiiing a hand we soon 
had a suitable position for unload- 
ing and in a few hours had takea 
everything out except ithe bar iron. 

Meanwhiile the boyB had tested the 
various brands of aootbimg syrup 
which they found to be greatly ex- 
hiliarating in itts effeotia< However, 
after conbiaiual sampM.ng they discov- 
ered it to be overpoweringly imitoxlca- 
tlng. In fact by twelve o'clock at 
night the whole command was stret- 
ched on the sajnds of the beach help- 
lessly druink, except Major FJy, Sar- 
geanit Bill and my®elf. 

On sipeafeinig of the matter after- 
ward I placed ooir Chaplain in the list 
of the sober but BlU swore that he 
was as drunk as the rest. However, 
Bill was prejudiced against this "par- 
son", called him a "one-eyed John 
who could only see a sdingle aide to 
a question and that to his personal 
advantage". Bill swore that any man 
who was too good do associate with 
the rank and file on ear<th would de- 
sert them on the road to heaven. On 
the strength of these convictions he 
refused to hear him preach. Drunk 
or sober the Chaplain was^ able to de- 
part the next mornlinig in a cart which 1 
hp had loaded down with goods from 
the wreck. 

The Fnn arose at the usual hour af- 
ter the night of debauch but the regi- 
ment failed to greet his returning 
rays. Many of them were alJ 3ay get- 
ting on their feet. There was visible 
of the cargo next day afiter unload- 
ing, six or »even barrels of tonic, 
one-fourth of the coffee and crock-^ry 
ware, the remainder having been hur- 
ried in the sand by the boys who 
were so drunk at the time that very 



little of it was ever recovered, they 
not beiia^ ftble to remember the hid- 
ing pUuces after they became sober. 

General Bee s«<nt wagons' down and 
hauled off the remainjoig barrelsi and 
coffee, kindly leaving us the bowls, 
pitchers, the proper use of which 
would no doubt have improved our 
appearances but as he failed to fur- 
nisik clean towels and soap to igo 
with them we failed to appreciate 
their value. 

A.bout this time two of our con- 
scriipta, no doubt recognizing their 
ignorance of dynaties and with praise- 
worthy zeal to rise in a chosen (by 
others) profession concluded to begin 
an Indivlduai invesdgation of these 
forces, each for himself. Procuring 
two charged shells from the For>t 
they proceeded to experdmient. Oni© 
of the shells waS' placedi at the roots 
of a large itiree, and reaching around 
from behind one of the "students" 
touched the fuse with a lighted torch. 
The shell went off and so did two of 
the investigators fSngers The other 
daring seeker after knowledge of 
things imiilitary, placed his shell un- 
der a rude board and stood upon It 
while he applied the torch. The- re- 
sult was a rapid ascienjsion skyward In 
which I fear the victim came nearer 
reaching heaven than he ever wHl a- 
gain. Strange to say this fellow re- 
turned to earth intaiot and unhurt ex- 
cept for slight bruises. The explosion 
made a terrific noise and caused 
quite a commotion. This was the 
first conscript we had ever seen ele^ 
vated from the ranks. I always 
thought that this fellow was what 
Josh Billinigs would call a "dam phuL 

We remained two or three months 
in -his section when we marched to 
Houston where we took railroad for 
Galveston which place we reached a- 
bout the middle of April 18«4. 



-.7. 



we were as.signie<i lo post duty u^p- j only military execution I wiitneBsed 
on our ai-nvai at UaLvetnon aad re- during the war. A private of German 
uiuijitd Uiere mmi Uie cioc^e "oi "tiiiij paren-tage belongding to an artillery 
war. ueaif rad Alcv^ruder, comniandef j company of Col. Cook's regiment was 

shot for desertion. He had made two 
former attemipis to desert and it was 
at last decided to make an examiple of 



of the lojv^es on ualvoston IsJand, 
liad hifi headquarLers in the city and 
our duties consisted in guarding thes« 
together with the quartenmaster and [ him. Our regiment was assigned to 



couunilssary restores. In the intervails 
of guard duty we occupied our time 
trying to drill eomething like soildier- 
ly bearang into ouir raw conscripts in 
order to make them fit for the next 
war. Most of us had then lost all 
hope of the present one, for seeing 
that the complete s'ubjugation of 
the Confederacy was only a matter 
of a few months, we soon gave up 
trying to make any improvements in 
the awkward squads of conscripts 
when aasig/ned to drill them. 

We were nevei- molested by the 
enemy whiile on Galveston Island. Our 
nearest aporoach to battle was with 
our own men when we were called out 
one night to protect Col. Hawes quar- 
ters from the assault of a mob, com- 
posed of resident soldiers and their 
families. These soldiers dem^anded 
that the government issue rations to 
their starving wives and children, 
which being refused on account of 
the depleted condition of our corn- 



guard the prisoner at the execution, 
out three miles from town. On reach- 
ing the appointed place three regi- 
ments were drawn up forming three 
sides of a parlelctgram all facing in- 
ward. The defierter was marched a- 
long in front of the emtire line and 
when the open end was reached, halt- 
ed and the firing squad marched for- 
ward and fired. 

Thie squad consisted of tweWe men, 
the half of whose guns were loaded 
with powder and ball^ the remaining 
six guns being charged with blank 
cartridges. None of the squad knew 
whether he fired a blank or a ball. 

After the executioji we were mar- 
ched by where the body lay dead up- 
on the ground in order to impress up- 
on our minds the penalty for deser- 
tion. 

This man was the ibst whom I saw 
killed during tlie war. But we were 
attacked dur.ing the summer of 1864 
by a sileait and insidious enemy a- 



missaries, had come in a riotous mob gainst which our heaviest guns avail- 



to secure provisions by force if per- 
suasion did not avail. 

No one who has not seen a mob of 
this kind clamoring for bread can 
have amy conception of the crazed 
and uncontrollable rage of the panti- 
ci pants or aippreciate the difficulty 
of quieting them without the shedding 
of blood. However by promising to 
see that the women and children 
would be fed and ordering a company 
to fire over the heads of the mob our 
officers finally quelled the riot with 
only one man injured who was acci- 
dentally killed by some one's awk- 
wardness in firing. 

Here I took part in the first and 



ed nothing. The yellow fever invad- 
ed our camp and soon became epi- 
demic, carrying off numbers who had 
courted death on numerous battl/e— 
fields and endured the hardthipps of 
many campaigns, only to succorab 
at last to this dreaded scourge. This 
was. a time that tried men's souls be- 
yond the test of battle shouts. No 
surging crowds of men to urge one 
on to victory or death yet now what 
heroic bravery it required to sjt a- 
lone through the sad siilent watches 
of the night beside a plague-stricken- 
comrad's bed and minister to -the 
dieiiiig wants of one who's very breath 
exhaled death into the suirroundi.ng at- 



18. 



nxosphere. But men Wiem found In 
camp and women too In thie|ciity| whose 
thoughts of ©elf w^ere d/rowned in, oth- 
er's cup of tremblimg so that not one 
was left ito suffer and die alone. 

Aind here durdng this epiidemdic was 
disp&ayed equally as much heroism 
if not more than is required to go in- 
to battli3 both by isolidiers and also (the 
good women of the oi.ty, true hero- 
ines iiUdeed who so kindly cared for 
and miniistered to the s'ck and dieing 
soldiers. I am Bometimes inclined 
to agTiee with that fellow over the 
river who ©aid: "Woman is the fin- 
ishing grace of creation, the com- 
pleteness of man's bliss and paraddse 
his companion, councilor and ooimfor- 
ter in his pilgrLmage through life. 
Our sweetest cup of earthly happin- 
ess is mixed and ministered by her 
hands and in heaven we wiJl bliess 
our creator for her aid in reaching 



that bllasful etate." Pl«a»e excufi<0 
thi'S digression- 

Nothiing of an eventful nature oc- 
cured to us during 1864. The opening 
of the spiring of 1865 brought with it 
the do-wuifall of the Confederacy 
and the few of us left returned to oou* 
homes emancipated after four years 
from the restraints of military life, 
which we enjoyed very much. 
The war | has been over forty-sixlyeara 
and it Is only the volunteer soldier 
who fully realizes the changed con- 
ditions. They are heavenly indeed 
now in comparison. General Sher- 
man properly defined war when he 
said that it wast the opposite of heav- 
en. This iis the opinion of 

RALPH J. SMITH. 
Company K, Second Texas Infan- 
try, born at Centerville, St. Mary's 
parrish. La., JuiHy 19th, 1840. Now re- 
sident of San Marcos. Hays Coumty 
Texas. 




19. 



TO THE DAUGHTERS OF THE CON 
FEDERACY. 



An Insight Into the Character of 
Volunteer Soldier. 



I was a Voluniteer soldier. 1 have 
ever loved the word Voiunteer and 
have detesited the word Conscript. It 
takes a volunteer soldier to discrim- 
inate between tihe two. The compari- 
soii in like a team composed of a 
lazy mule and a idpirited horse. Each 
is actuated by a different motive. The 
voluntetT goes of his own free will; 
I be cofiscriipt is coerced. 

1 was An my 21st year when I vol- 
unteered in the Confederate service. 
I was so good and so green tliat my 
pa thought something of making a 
preacher of me but I told him that the 
boys were all volunteerimg amd that 
I was going to volunteer too. Lote of 
girls kis.&ed m© good bye as I had 
three sisters and one sweet-heaxt. Two 
young ladies each made me a preseoit 
one of a bible ami the other of a 
rather insigmificant one thait I was 
loath to take, but took it as she 
said that I would need it, and I did, 
so much so thait Lt soon wore out 
The lady who gave me the bihle exac- 
ted two promises of me, one was to 
quit swearing and the other was to 
read my bible, which I did. Ajid no 
doubt this conitriibuted to my moral 
welfare, as I did not let a day pass 
that I did not seoretly petition our 
Creator for hi« care and protection 
and I verily believe that all iintelUgent 
soldiers did the same, especially in 
active service, for the f ataJAties- that 
were oonistantlv cocuirimg inspired 
th€m with a deflire for His protec- 
tion. 

Well, we orgamixed a company with 
Clark L. Owens as our captain, a 
man fifty-five years old and a Chris- 
tian gentleman. We went direict to 
Houston and joined the Second Tex- 
as Infantry, commanded by ColomeJ 
.Tohn C Moore, n. Wes>t Po'int grad- 



uate and a brave and gallant officer 
but not a Christian, for he waS' red- 
headed, red-bearded, red-faced, and 
extremely high-itempered. It was on- 
ly a s/hort time until I had eitrong »us- 
picions that I had joined a regiment 
of devils. In every regimeait of vol- 
unteer soldiers there is a strong vein 
of humor that is ever present and 
never abseint even in the thickest of 
battle .To show you how quickly 
they can go from the very serious to 
the very ridiculous I will describe 
this scene. 

My regiimefnt was doing post duty 
and was appointed to escort the re- 
maifns of Colonel Thomas) F. Lubbock 
from the depot down in town. He 
was placed In a public building and 
lay in state and while his citizen and 
soldier friends were going im and 
viewing him the regiment was lined 
up iin the s.treet listening to a rose- 
bud orator enlogizinig. He began in 
thiis way: "Thomaa F. Lubbock Is 
dead, dead." repeatnlng this three tim- 
es. He spoke about one hour and 
when the regiment moved off immed- 
iately some wag started the ball to 
rolling by repeaiting his first words 
which went down the regimetnt, two- 
thirds of the boya joining in. Thls' was 
the most ridiculous scene I ever wit- 
nessed. Of course, the regaiment was 
disgraced in the eyes of the friend* 
of Colonel Lubbock and the citizens 
of Houston were glad when we left, 
which we did on the 22nd of March 
1862, going direct to Tennessee, reach- 
ing there in time to enjgage in the 
battle of Shiiloih which was fought on 
the Gth and 7th of A/pril. It wasi this 
first day's fight that convinced me 
fhrt I was riight in my conclusions 
for my regiment fought like devils 
incarnate. This was the biggest re- 
vival I ever witnessed. There was 
Tr^at r'^joicmc: for w'th an army one- 
third less than that of the enemy we 
drove them tr> the Tenine?^'=-e river and 
many a poor fellow took his last bath 
in h!s '^ffortn to cross. We ah^o cap- 
20. 



tured their entire , oommiissiairy and 
quarter-imasteir's stories and ate sup- 
per and breakfast off their commis- 
saries and buit for the death of our 
geiiieral Late that evieniimg we would, 
have capturied the entire army. 

The next day, the 7th was revival 
day foir the federals, for General Buell 
on the night of the G'th croarsied over 
wiLh forty thousand fresh troops. I 
was wonnded and leift on the battle 
field and am ajnepared to advisie all 
young meai gouig into battle to avoid 
be'ing shot in the left leg below the 
knee. I was not in a position to isiee 
how fast the boySi moved to the rear 
but understood they made a g-ood 
record for speed, whiich was wiisie un^ 
der the •circuinstances. 

I was taken direct to St. Loniis 
and placed iin McDoweli'siCollageand 
kiuidiy caired foir. I stayed three .mon- 
ths and of cour'ne learned a .great deal 
and but for the reason that I did 
not make suffiiciient progress or some 
other reason chcy sent me to the 
penitentiarj' at Alton, Illinois, where 
I stayed three months longe,r. I enjoy- 
ed thiiL;. more than in Co'liege for I 
had moi'e room for exercise and soon 
recruiite.d snffiiciently to throw away 
my -cratches and mingle with the 
1200 ctheir prii'jiQneriS ; and enjoy 
their a330.ciatac!5i. If you wiill excuse 
me for taking you to the pemitentiary 
I will bring you out again and to- be 
brief will say that I was soon with 
my reigdment. 

There is much to be learned of the 
volumteier sioldier. For fo.ur yeiars I 
heard every subject under the sun 
cussed and disionssed except autoimio^ 
biles, aeroplanes and hobb.le skirts 
1 do not know why the boys did not 
think of these. 

Now my friends, not desiring to 
weary your patience I will conclude 
with a few more thoughts.. The de- 
moraMzing .conditions that t.he 



home, are unpleasant memories. I 
might elaborate on (these largely but 
will refrain from doing so and sim- 
ply inform you, and would have you 
believe me, co.nditioinis as they exist 
today are heaveinly indeed in compari- 
son. And I would urge that all be 
intereste.d in the dissemination of 
the Christian reliigiion and Christian 
education and of coursie the making 
of good and wholesome laws for th.e 
benefit of the coniscript and conditions 
will be created that I am sure will 
more likely meet with diviiniie approv - 
a' than .another ciwil war. Th.e vol- 
unteer Confederate soldier and Vol- 
u.niLieeir soildiej- of th.e cross tis alijO. K. 
The Volunteer soon beicomes imimune 
to that disease called acute verdancy 
Not so the conscript, for be is lack- 
ing in iu'dependence audi is perpetual- 
ly unider the tutorage of the other 
fellow. 

I thiank you ladies for your atten- 
tion and may happiness ever aittend 
you, may nothing disturb your pure 
thoughts and may you ever be lovely 
and pretty are the wis.hes of my 
heart. 



WAR NOT JUSTIFIABLE. 

(Written during the Spanish-.'Vmerl- 
can War) 



That divi.ne.ly instiituted law of free 
moral agency is as applicable to an 
aggregation of men as to the' iinidiivid- 
ual man, a.nd when a collection of 
men asjenible together and devise 
phtiis for war, cliaimiin.g|.itto|b'e| justi.fi- 
able and having th'e sanction of divin- 
ity is equally as absurd [to my | mind j as 



for tvyfo individuals, to becomci antago- 
civil . nistic and settle t'hcir grievances by 
war created, both in the army and at rescirtiinig to armis, resulting perhaps 

' 21. . 



in the death cf I, aiwi live victwious 
party claiming the Ix>rd wk,s oji his 
side. Whexii ajman'aiiadiividuaJ domain 
is threatened by an armed foe, he 
i* justifiied in defending It, even lif 
he has to destroy life in doing oo. 
And when a natiioirjs fjera'iitox'y Jsldnvad' 
t>d by an armed force, theai, and oji- 
l.v thicn, its. 'She Juatlfiied am resistling 
and makinig war on the] invader [amdi it 
woiild be cowardice and want of pat' 
riotisim not to do so, and under these 
conditione only, if e'Ver, tho leaders 
mighit cl'aini divine diretvtion or aanc- 
ticn^ The diomoralieing effect of war 
and the absence of piety and the un' 
favoraible condiitions for sucli in arm- 
ed foaices, and the wlckednessi ajnd 
vice necessairiiily, created iai eiig3,gmg 
i:x the avocation of a aoldder is con- 
chisive evidence that the creator has 
nothdng to do wdth war. 

There is. we admiit, an overruling 
provid&nce that is coiiatantly oiperaA- 
Ing on. Hives and heari.s of naitloms or 
men that constitute naitions, but pro- 



ft'ivd '.ellinK lof what a grofut life pre- 
S( rvor Lhip Rliblo iu by carryiaig In It 
the breast pocke't. Tho old aoldler 
knowii Jiow this la dotvo — the con- 
script or cowardly soldier duj*inK an 
pRgaigettnc-nit has frequcmtly be(M 
known, to hide in the brush and re.ad 
the Bible or deck of cards rcore often 
the kiiLitcr, instccd of boiirg in the 
fight. By this niefjus lidis Life v/aa 
preaefTved. 

Becausei good accrues to men oj' 
nationK as a reKuJt of war Ls no ovi- 
dence- oif liits justine&s or riightcouaness 
oi' that tlie creator aancitions it. We 
n;ay be lurod dato ithe hujiief that H« 
does beciuise pecuniary advantages 
and moral achievements! ardise from 
it. If Toim shoots down poor Bilattherie 
will also be pecuniary bcncfite, espec- 
ially if BiJi's life is insured. Hi-j v^^id 
ow iis OTitablished in buainesB aiid 
started on the road to prosperity- 
This is frequently the case aaid it 
would be extireocoely absjurd to aay 



videiDce is oniy guidiing ai?d direct- | that the LK>rd was onj Tom's side, 
ing those who submit to his laws, j While we belieive thort: rigiht and jus- 
In order to be lyroperly qualified to tice will ultimately prevail the Lord 
become a soldiej- and a formidable aiii . seems from observation to be on the 
tagoncet, there is seemimgly implant- sj,[],e of the ytrongest and beet equip- 
ed in the mind a hatred of the foe, j>f fj. Two of the ablest men amd 
contriQiIBiKg chanacteniictic of the CJ''eQ'' suatesmen ith© world has ever produc- 
tor and producing In j the human breast | cxl were Gladstone and Bismark. The 
an elemeait that is antagonistic to 1 former not only opposed war except 
whajt we are tutored to beldeve as the j„ ^.^g^ ^f invasion , but averted it 



controlling characteristic of the Crea 
toi, that is love and mercy. We ad- 
rait there have been a few exceptdioiis 
to this rule; in a few isolated cases 
our warrior Icadorsi have majinitained 
their proper alleigiance to the creator 
while prosecutdnig a war. These onjy 
are the true heroes, and these only 
should be oulogiaed; 

The natural tendency of a soldier 
life, judgdiug fti'oan a 'oua- year ob- 
servatdion and experience, is demor- 
alizajtion, so mtich so that in our op- 
imion a company of preachers would 
be taking a lot of chances of becom- 
ing demoralized, especially in a war 
of extende^d duration. Preachers us- 
ed to be very fond of citing instances 



when possible and when precipitated 
usic-id means to stop its prosecution. 

The latter in his last days acknow- 
ledged that ho hadi been instrumental 
in bringing about three wars, saw 
ht^v they could, have boen a'Verijed;anid 
rt'greitted ho hfjd rjot stopped them. 
The ^Vmerdcaji people ae well as the 
English would do well to emulate the 
example cf these two statesmen,. But 
then, despite, ths dire consequences | of 
war, it seemw h'story has '■o repeat 
itself. T'hoi greed for Cold love of ccn- 
qunst, fame and adventure must be 
gratified; that ambitious <^lement 
wliich is so closely aUiod to the brute 
must be gratified, so that our warrior 
lorders. Gen. Theopolis Dolittle and 



22. 



X 



and otli^jfisi, nmy have theiir brows 
crowaed WBili IcjiireJic^ and have colos- 
riial mauiblc! mcjinuinuyivto oroct'jid in 
their meimoiry. 

lit 1,3 eViGin claimod, that in goi-iiig 900 
miles froiin home to tho Phaiipime Is- 
landa to fimd a foe to oonquer, te jus^ 
tiflaible from a moi'ajl stand/poiinit. 
Cathiolucism bojng tihe doffniimanit rciis:- 
ion our D.D's claiim it Jis oipipnesiBdfVio, 
and we aire jiisit.ifiiiablie Im slnughtejniiing 
large p'Sircemtiagie rf the populatiiOini im 
ondcir to makie the renniimdcr accept 
our veirsiiofti of the gosipol (regOindliests 
oi the loss of the litvosi c<f sievoral 
thousand of our young laon in so do- 
iiug 'the creami of |th/8 Illation'. Wiejcaai- 
not become rccoiiciled to the pniinoi'p- 
lo of foroiible ohrlsitianity. If we 
■couW wo woiUiId fayvor shoioititig' it in- 
to some of our homo folks. 



GENEALOGY OF THE SMITH FAM- 
ILY. 

Ralph Smith, San Marc<«, 

Alt the first glance, eX this headimg 
the reader wouJd justly conclude 
that the writer had asisumed to him- 
delif an herculiean task, but as my ob- 
je-C't is to give in brief a biiiography of 
my own family ancastors, excluding 
ail of tue name of Jolin Smith, there 
being none so caijed in my anceatry, 
the task will aeem' easier. 

My father AJfred Smith, was bora 
Mercih 29ith 1810 in the state of Lofuasr 
ara. and died Augusit 16tih 1889, in 
.lacfescin county Texas. I have no re- 
cord of my mother's bintih or death, 
but ahe Mlvcd to be 65 years old. The 
wiiter waisjboraiiJuliy 19:th 1840|atlCeai- 
trcviille. La. My grandfather, Henry 
Joliaininon Simith, was boni and rear- 
ed in the state of Maine. He was a 
keeper! of a light house on,|the|coast of 
La., and white engaged in this, avoca- 
tion was drowned when my father 
was a ten year oM boy. My father's 
mother was of Irfeih pare^ntage, her 
family name v/as iVrmstrong. She liv- 



ed (to b« 80 years old. My mofther'a 
parente,, Wm H. Cook and Martha 
Cook, for whomi my mother was naan- 
ed, were natives of Ohio in which 
state my mother was neared at the 
town of MiHedigeville. This grand- 
mother li(ved to be 70 years old. My 
grandfather Cook lived to be 87 years 
old and served in the war of 1812. H 
lived until I was near grown | and |afitfcn 
deeply interested me by repeating his 
i-o,oolJi£,iot,ions. of the war,|and|iniapiring 
me with a great desiire to beicome a 
soLdiier. I feared then the opportun- 
iity would never coone but it did come 
I had thriee first cousins ithat sprung 
from a branch of this Cook family, 
their names being WilHaim Henry jHar- 
rjfcon, Benjamin Aibijah Ciintis, and 
Zachariah Taylor Cook. Being unab- 
le to tote such names for long, they 
neoeisisariilly passed away early m Me. 
Some very noted characiterdjsitics' of 
my amteoedeints were that they were 
all bom ATlith. their eyes open, none 
had fits, and none of them ever were 
himig, woint to jail, the penitontiary 
or the leigislature. All were big eat- 
ers, and some successful in leading a 
mule to waticr or '^niving a cow down 
a lame. Of all my amcestOTB that I 
have any knowledge nO)nie|liv,ed| always 
some succumed to disease while 
otiiers' more fortunate lived uimtil thei/ 
machimjery wore out and subiniitted 
to that irirevocable decroe of ithe Crea- 
tor, and went the way of all moci- 
kiind. SoiHie were heroes im war, but 
j aj> hero womship is of modernlcreatiioin 
and not the fad theUf as now no co- 
lossal marble moniumant mariks the 
grave of my anicestors. A fii-st cous- 
in cf my faijhor's whom afll readers of 
Texas hiistory remember, took an ac- 
tive pai-t in driving the eaieiny from 
Texas soil; I aMude to Eras+us Smith 
conumonly known as Deaf Smith. I 
have often hecr'' my father refer to 
him they having been raised togeth- 
er. 

In the spring of 1852 when I was 
tv/elve years old my father with his 
family immigrated to Texas aboard 

23. 



a siaiili vessel, landdaig at the old tmvn 
oi' Inidianola, when tr an sterling our 
plunder to a cteam boat we had the 
h&ncir of being a parity to ascension, 
oit" the first steam vessel up the Navir 
dad rd(ver to old Texanna, hieiad of ,na- 
vigajiicjn atnd our futuj-e homo, getting 
in p.roxi/mity to ithis little village^ in 
early mcfl'iniiiig hours, the boat began 
a i:i3irLe.s of sharp and loud whistlios 
which, reaiulted in effecting a com- 
plo^e iSitampede of naitiivcs ajnd stock. 
Some white folks, all the niggers, 
hordes, cattJe, hogis, dogs, scampered 
off to the prairde no duobt coinicludiog 
that the judgomemt day had come. 

My first recollecticm of a school 
houso was tihnt the inside wall was 
adormed with holes. I was frequent- 
ly caused to stand cai ome foot with 
bcok in loft hand the index finger of 
my ri^ht hamd inserted im a hole in 
thy waJil and in. itihis atttotuide I had to 
leani my lessom. If I faAled, which I 
often dcd, 1 wais conducted to or near 
the center of the schoiol hoaiee and 
for further piunishment placed on a 
dunce blcck with a dunce cap on my 
head and leather 9peiotacle:iion|imy ey- 
es, in thiis conjddtiion I had to endure ' 

the scrutioiizing gaze of the enttire | At the earnest request of an o;d 
school, which was huiniiilctang indeed. I lady friend and school mate who in- 
Fontiina'jGiliy fcr me there wsasi siiffi- j u:ists that I wilte something of my 
cierjt sympathy manifested fcr me to ! boyhood and young macihcod days, 
encourage me to maHie some heroic ef j I have decided to give to the public 
forts to master my tasku,. I succeed- j something thcjt came under my obsar- 
ed to that exibenit that divorced rae j vation and tio whiich I was a;, cye-wit- 
forever freni these modes of punish- i ness, and which I have not the least 



sinimon beer. Now we have virgin 
pullets, turkey and cranberry sauce, 
chicken and salmon salad, metropoli- 
tcn and angel cake, and other num- 
erouii delilcacies. 

>\jid the piOipular theme of tiie day is 
the heroes of|the|war whoiareeuloigjiz- 
eu even from .the pulpits. For shame 
when if these heroes, many of them, 
could have their just deser.ts, would 
have a simiilan inscription on their 
torabsitonieis as that furnished to old 
Keisel by an Inda.an poet, thui^'ly: 
There was man who died of late, 

For wham the. angels did impatient- 
ly wait. 
With outstretched wings of love 

To waft him to the realtos above. 
But while the engeLs were hovering 
in thje skies.. 

And d!(2ipnting over the prize. 
In slCippad the devil like a we&ael, 
-And down to hades he canTied Keisel. 



RECOLLECTION OF MY 
HOOD DAYS. 



BOY- 



meuit. 



idea that not another man in Hays 



My first recollccticns of preaching i County ever wit.ncsscd a like scene, 
was in a schoiol ho.use; the advent of j About the year 18.56 therelcanie from 
the paroon was looked to with joy, South Carolina a bachelor man. poesi- 
the men would herald it abroad, the bly thirty-five years old, wi.th six nc- 
wcihsn would cry' aloud '"the parson groes and other proipeity. He bought 
is a coim.ira or comin." i ."n un.!mprov?d trrct of tdimbcred Ic^iid 

Now we have massive church bui.!d- 1 about t.'f leen miles from old Texan.n.a 
ings in every .town with clear sound- ■ iu .Jackson county, moved on it with 
in,g- bells proclaimiTig the coming of his negroes r.nd began clearing it up, 



the Sabbath day, and parsonis are 
thicker than cotton .taiil rabbits. 

My earliy recollections of a Christ- 
mas dinner was that it consisted of 
br.ked possuim, sl/iced potato pie amd 



01- had his negro slaves to|do|so while 
h- folloiwed buying a.id aelling horses 
ar.d was frequently abce.it for several 
weeks. 

At the time of the circum.-j.tan.ee 



giinger cake, washed down with per- j that I desire to meiition he had been 



24. 



aba8int soveral moniths and his near- tbey were extremely happy and each. 
est neighibon; hadibeg'an|tolhave|S(tirong one was placed upon his own coffin 



suspiioionu ithat somiothiiig liad hap- 
pened tO| him and |i0omm6niced|ito| make 
some investigrjtiions whach rcsailibed in 
the arrosit aad iniccjrccraiticn in the 
county jail of three noigro men and 
one woman. Shortly afiter being' plac- 
ed in jail Ihey all confessed to the 
killing of tliiGiir matJtcr. Their' no.anes 
wene: Zefee who was a preacher and 
John and Jack the oldoGt, r, man of 
herculean strength; six feiet three in- 
ches in. heighjth. And ho was the 
"genitleman" who wielded the ax thoit 
^'ont hdc. masitor into etGrnity while he 
was a3lc<:'-p in tlie clearing with his 
sfiddle for a pillow in the middle of 
The day. 

They threw his body into a bm&h 
p!le and buniied it to ashesi and it 
was siaLd that overythdng burned up 
but his heart rjnd we boys and many 
lueu were supersitiiUous enough to be- 
lieve this rot. Possiibly it was so as 
it might have beeai made of stone. It 
was currently reported 'that this man, 
before moving to Texas, had a live 
negro placed in a coffin and made 2 
other negroes saw him in two with a 
cross-cut saw. I suppose that he died 
for no human being could stand such 
an operation as that and livie. 

I cannot vouch for the truth of the 
above but from my viewpoint of 
things now if tliis man practiced one- 
half of the cruelit.y that, these poor 
slaves accused him of he undoubtedly 
got his just deserts. 

Well in due course of Itimej the |three 
men were condemned to be publicly 
hung. The jui-y that tried the wom- 
an failed to agrcp asi one man on it 
would not consent to hang a woman, 
:!o She waaifinallylllberated. The|three 
men had their usual thirty days to 
prepare for their final departure in 



in a wagon aoid moved off under a 
strong guard of armed men to the 
gallows, one-mile off in the open post 
oak wood and near a public road. 

As they were marched to the place 
they sang all the way some old bible 
hymn with a crowd of us school) boys 
as hearera. On reaching the gallows 
They found waiting the largest crowd 
ot whiibo mjen and negroes of both cex- 
e>s I ever saw together, the negroes 
being coercedi to see the siight. If 
tiny was left behind at home it was 
dead ones and babies. 

The tliree men w"ere,madelto|asoend- 
t J the top. and on the trap door and 
'aach given a few minutes to talk. Old 
Jack and John made short speeches 
but Zieke, the preacher, made quite a 
lengthy speech, all claimiijng to be en 
route to heaven. 

When the drop was made Jack's 
and John's necks were broken but 
Zfke't> was not and it seemed as 
though he would not give it up and 
struggled fearfully, his feet moving 
with astonishing rapidity which ex- 
cited an old colored lady who ex- 
claimed in a moment of rapture: 
"Dat nigger sho' been a good dancer 
in his day.'. 

NotwithstandiJng the solemnity of the 
oocasiion this uncalled for outburst 
brought some simdiles to the boys. 

From younig .manhood up I have ev- 
OA' be>on irresisitibly drawn toward 
preachers, especially negro pre-achers, 
therefore I got to withdn ten feot of 
Zeke so I hoard all he said and altho 
a thoughtlosa boy I was impressed 
with it, too much so for my good, for 
I could see those dead negroes for a 
month afterward, especially after eat- 
ing a bag supper. 

This spot of ground became sacred. 



which time|the;differentjpreGche.rs had ;^ much so that the public road was 
them in charge and administered spir- changed and no man, white or black 
itual consolation to them, by which I ever got naar it, day or night. 



liave no doubt they wer<' very much 
benefited. 

At any race by the day of cxet'iition 



except one of my chums who 
claimed to ride near the spot ofL?n 
on dark nights and was not the least 



26. 



bii afraid, cus hic would go by whiis- 
tliiig. HJG namo v/as Ananias No. 2. 

Many were itlie ghosts afterward 
seen in the viciniity. 

Well, the viilfliage doctor bought 
the body of big Jaick wiitii the inten- 
tion of imakiiing a skeletotn for exMbi- 
tion. Of course this imtsresited all 
the boys and we looked forward to 
the time with eagerness ai:d impa- 
tience to the tiinie when we would see; 
this curiosity. Well the 'time came. | 
Some man rode to the school house \ 
and roponted to us that the docLor i 
had Jack's bones together. We boys 
diisniiiissed the achiool, leaving the tea-j 

eher in charge of the girls, roiid belt- i 

i 
ed for the doctor's ofiice in a run, i 

same three hundred yards off. On our i 
arrival the doctor told us- thaA. we i 
would finid whiajt we waoiited in a clos- 
et in the reai" of his office. | 



A few of usi approached the place . 
and peeped i:i. There we slw Jack's 
bones all 'together in a box, wliere 
they remained only a sihort time and 
theoi. werc| rLumped iatOi ohe Na^-idad 
river. The Doctor was not as brave 
a? he thought and had no noUon of 
staying in hiis office with Jack's skele- 

tOiU. 

We boysi all^vay^ tCio^aght cur te.iicCi- 
er was die principall ac'.ori iti pltviv- 
ning this Aprdl F^ooL sicheme for our 
benefiit for he was a jolly good feil- 
low y^heai net iin echjool tryrlrjg; to 
hammer somo bctok scusio ii'^lo our 
thick heads. 

Well when 'the negroes v/ere so't 
free the ghost disappeared from tihe 
land. I have never seen a gh'ost 
since the ciivil war, for which I thank 
the Lord. 



26. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



013 704 536 9 



